5 Reasons To Go Cycling In Bonaire

Hi Castaways, here is a guest post from Darryl Kotyk of LovingTheBike.com. Darryl is an island nut like us and is big into cycling. Enjoy his story of biking on the island of Bonaire. Cheers!

Do you picture bikes or cycling when you think about the Caribbean? Probably not. I’m sure sun, sand, and palm trees pop into your head a lot sooner then the idea of riding a bicycle in the Caribbean….especially on the beautiful island of Bonaire. But I’m here to tell you that bikes and Bonaire go hand in hand.

I was lucky enough to spend three years of my life living on the amazing island of St. Kitts, which is also in the Caribbean just a little north of Bonaire. It too is a great cycling island and one of the most memorable rides I’ve ever had was on it’s South East Peninsula. Many other islands should be looked at as good places to cycle as well, but I wanted to point out the fabulous Dutch island of Bonaire.

Bonaire is well known as one of the best diving locations in the world, and is also highly regarded as a windsurfing and kitesurfing haven, but what about cycling? Well, here is what the people from Bonaire Bike Tours have to say about riding on their island:

“The best way to experience the beauty and outdoors, meet the locals, and enjoy all Bonaire has to offer, is on a bike. See the flora and fauna, cycle past our natural history, and get exercise in our clean Caribbean air. We have challenging climbs, incredible mountain bike terrain, and miles and miles of fabulous road and off-road cycling routes.”

Here are my top 5 reasons you should consider Bonaire as your next great cycling escape, holiday, or adventure:

Where else do you get to go cycling in a beautiful climate (consistently between 24 and 30 C / 75 and 90 F), with limited rain, and located outside the hurricane belt? I’ll bet that sounds awfully nice as the temperatures begin to drop in your home town.

Cycling is important enough on this island that they even have a Cycling Map available. I’ve never seen one of these for any other Caribbean island:

Cycle along with Donkeys and Flamingos – Bonaire has both a donkey and a flamingo sanctuary on the island….and who doesn’t like donkeys and flamingos? This is sure to be scenery that you don’t generally experience at home.

Learn Dutch or Papiamentu – The official language of Bonaire is Dutch, but English is widely spoken. But the native language just happens to be Papiamentu which is a mixture of many languages including Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, English, Caribbean Indian, and African. Imagine how beautiful that must sound.

Road and MTB Riding – Mountain Biking is probably the most popular type of cycling on Bonaire, but they do have some excellent road riding as well. There may not be a lot of options for road riding (the island is only 180 sq. km / 112 sq. miles, with only part of that with paved roads), but they do have great riding on the north end of the island that includes a small climbing optional section as well.

If you’re looking for a beautiful cycling package to get you to Bonaire to experience all the island has to offer, have a look at this Bonaire Cycling Holiday: Click here.

The fun will be hosted by yours truly and will include a rum tasting, a complimentary bottle of Cruzan Rum in your room, a sunset sail, a rum snorkel scavenger hunt, nightly entertainment and Castaway room discounts. Take a break from the Winter and come lime Castaway style in the US Virgin Islands! Click here for booking and details.